Running To Win

Dave McAllister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and proctor of our faith. When we present the gospel, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those who don't yet believe, convicting them of their need for God and their need for the forgiveness that only he can give. Today we learn about another ministry of the Holy Spirit. Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is running to win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, today we look into John chapter 16 and learn about the gift of conviction.

If the spirit does the convicting, what's our responsibility when talking to the lost?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Dave, this is so important for people to understand. Parents cannot convert their children. We cannot convert anyone. The only one who is able to convert is God. And as you mentioned in your intro, God begins by giving people the conviction of their sin, which then leads to the gift of faith and the gift of salvation. But our responsibility to answer your question more specifically, our responsibility is to share the word of God, to allow the word of God to be used in such a way that the spirit of God is able to bring about that special gift, the gift of salvation.

We're so glad here at the ministry of running to win that so many people have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ because of people just like you who have enabled us to share the gospel around the world. And it so happens we are in the middle of what we call our matching gift opportunity. That means very specifically, anything that you give during this time will be doubled. What an opportunity to maximize your gift. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Now, if you miss this opportunity to write down this info, I'll be giving it to you again following this message.

There is a story about a ship that was in the Atlantic Ocean and they sent an SOS saying that they did not have any drinking water. As you know, the ocean is salty and the water cannot be drunk. But actually, what the ship didn't know is that it had sailed into the St. Lawrence seaway, the St. Lawrence River, and was in fresh water. They could have simply let down their buckets and they could have had a drink. I wonder if you and I are that way because we think to ourselves, we are defeated, we are disappointed, we are bound by our sins and there's no hope for us.

And God says to us via the Holy Spirit of God that the provision has been made for you and for me. Put down your bucket and drink and receive from God the miracle of the Holy Spirit of God's work in our hearts. Now, if you're a believer, you know that we are already indwelt with the spirit. Jesus made it very clear saying that the Holy Spirit cannot be given to the world. But today we are going to look at exactly what the spirit does in relationship to the world. This happens to be I think number five in a series of messages entitled when the spirit has his way.

I can't help but when I read the book of Acts to see the the vibrancy of the church, the miracles of the church. Even if we say that we don't believe that we can do the miracles that the apostles did because there are miracles that only the apostles could do, still the answers to prayer, the inexpressible joy of the church, the power of the church. Spirit is the same today as he was back then. Hasn't changed in 2,000 years. If only we trusted him more, if only we dealt with all of the issues on our side of the ledger, who knows what would happen if the spirit had his way.

Well, the passage today is the 16th chapter of the Gospel of John, John chapter 16 where Jesus is talking about the relationship of the Holy Spirit and the world. The Holy Spirit and the world. You'll notice that he said this, I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you. I'm now in verse five of chapter 16. But now I'm going to him who sent me and none of you asks me where you are going, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper, that is the Holy Spirit, the advocate, will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment concerning sin because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Wow, what an interesting passage. Yesterday I was asking myself the question, who's this message for that I have prepared based on this text? Well, it's certainly for you if you're here today and you're a seeker. In fact, while I am speaking, there may be a small voice in your heart drawing you to Christ and to his forgiveness and his grace.

Listen to that voice. If you know Christ as your savior, you're going to be greatly encouraged knowing that when we witness, we become partners with the Holy Spirit in his great work. Maybe you belong to another religion, maybe you're an atheist. If you listen very carefully, you'll also hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to listen to that voice, the spirit's work in the world. I remember an 18-year-old who went off to camp and was saved. That is to say he was converted. He came back home and said to his parents, you know what?

I feel so different. All of my guilt is gone and I know I belong to God. I have peace in my heart. Did you know that if you accept Jesus Christ as your savior, you can have that too? He's very excited. His parents said, what are you talking about? We're Christians too. We go to church. You'll get over your fanaticism. This is just an experience. Look at we're good people, so what do you have to say to us? And the kid is confused in saying, it's like finding a pot of gold and telling you that you can come and get this gold too.

And yet all that you are met with is a cold stare. Wow. Let me explain to you my brothers and sisters that when the Holy Spirit of God does his work to show us our need, our sin and our need of Christ, it is a great work. And the Bible says that you cannot believe without the action, the direct intervention of this Holy Spirit. Because it isn't just an intellectual issue, it is a heart issue. And everything within us says no, no, no, no. And God has to overcome that resistance. And he does it by the action of the Holy Spirit.

That's why there is some of you here today who perhaps thought that this was going to be an ordinary message. But you may discover it is extraordinary as the Holy Spirit of God works in your heart. Now, Jesus said that there are three things that the spirit is going to do when he comes. First of all, he is going to convict the world of sin. By the way, the spirit is an advocate for believers. That's another translation of the word comforter. But notice that for the world, he becomes the prosecutor because you see, you can't see the beauty of Jesus and why you should believe on him unless you are cognizant and aware of your sin.

So the spirit is going to convict of sin. Ask the average person what sin is and he will tell you that it's something that somebody else does that he doesn't like. You know, oh, it's the murderer or it 's this. One time in Germany, I was using my broken German to witness to somebody and telling him why he should believe on Jesus. And I remember he was sitting there saying, I don't have any sin. He said it's the politicians. Go preach to them. He doesn't have any sin. Now, the fact that he was divorced and living with a woman who wasn't his wife, that's no big issue.

But get the politicians. But what is sin? Sin is living in God's world without acknowledging and worshiping God. Sin is not loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul. That's sin. And from that stem, all of these other sins that Jesus said are lodged in our hearts. From within he said come adulteries, fornication, thefts, wickedness, all kinds of evil. It is because we don't love God with all of our heart and mind and soul. And then it's not just any sin. The biggest sin is Jesus said that they believe not on me.

Now, you say well, what about those who haven't heard about Christ? Let's not discuss them for a moment. Let me discuss you because you are hearing about Christ. The greatest sin that you can commit is to reject the gift of God that he has given to us in Jesus Christ. So God says um the Holy Spirit is going to come and he's going to convict people of sin and he's going to convince them. He's going to convince them as to why they have to believe on Jesus and why nobody else can be their savior. And he'll show them the beauty of Jesus.

Next Jesus said that the Holy Spirit of God would convict yes of one sin, but notice also one standard. And that is the standard of righteousness. The Bible says that there are two different kinds of righteousness. There's the righteousness of man and the righteousness of God. And what a difference between the two. You know uh most people believe that their goodness will get them somewhere. But just like you can add a billion oranges and never get a banana, in the very same way you can take all human righteousness that has ever been done and you will never attain to the righteousness of God.

You know we may get someone to measure the height of Moody Church over against Willis Tower, which used to be the Sears Tower. And we discover that Moody Church is pretty low in comparison to that skyscraper. But you know, if we began to compare the two in relationship to the closest star, which is so many light years away, discounting the sun for a moment, um we discover that the difference is negligible. When you and I are confronted with our sin, we do one of two things. First of all, we blame somebody else. Did you guys see on television the story of how they set up a sting at our airports and there was a TSA agent who stole an iPad, but they had a little gadget on the iPad so that they could track it down to his home 30 miles away and they show up at his home.

He doesn't have it. But then they had a little buzzer, a little beeper on the iPad. They said well, let's help you find it. And so this little beeper goes off. So the man has to give it to them. And then his last words if you saw it was I think my wife got it from somewhere. Wow. First of all, you lie, then you fudge, you tweak. And if at the end it doesn't work, you blame your wife. Isn't that what Adam did in the garden? The woman whom thou gavest me, it was this weak-willed woman.

And notice that Adam said that even though there wasn't a chance in the world that he had married the wrong one. What God does through the Holy Spirit is show people something that in comparison to each other they might be good, but in comparison to God, they have not attained his absolute pure holiness. And that's the only righteousness that God accepts. Did you know that? People are always shocked when I tell them you have to be as perfect as God to get to heaven. But of course you do. But that perfection comes because when you trust Christ as savior, he gives you the gift of his own righteousness and qualifies you for fellowship with God and for acceptance before the Father.

So Jesus shows them this through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They begin to see that in relationship to somebody else, I'm pretty good. But when it comes to comparing myself with God, that's another story. As Job said before God came to him, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye sees thee. And I repent in dust and in ashes. Wow. God, pure, holy, transcendent. I am indeed a sinner that needs a savior. And then the Bible says that he will also convince of one danger and that is judgment.

There's something within us that tells us about our accountability to God and there are atheists you know who do all that they can to try to discount it. They keep telling themselves over and over again there's no life after death until their own consciences are deadened. But we all know it and we all want it. Somebody who has done evil to you, you would want God to really judge them. You're not so sure whether or not you want God to judge you, however. But the Bible says that the day is coming when God is going to judge.

Catch this. Romans chapter two, God is going to judge the secrets of men and women by Jesus Christ. No hiding, no tweaking, no fudging, no covering, just you and God and reality. That is scary unless you know something of the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to your account. So that you stand there welcomed into heaven as perfect as God because he has given you his righteousness. Jesus said that Satan of course was judged at the cross, seen to be evil, seen to be a failure. He says just like I judged him, so there will be those who anticipate the danger of judgment.

And I say this to you from my heart. If you don't know Christ as savior, you stand in danger of judgment. And the Bible says the condemnation of God already rests upon you. So Jesus said that the spirit is going to point this out because you and I want to run and hide. We want to give all the arguments. I don't want to believe in Jesus because what is he going to do? And why should it be Jesus? And on and on and on because we are running, we're running from what we think might be true and we fear might be.

It's why C. S. Lewis, the great apologist, he said that he was brought kicking and screaming into the kingdom. And even while I am speaking, there are some of you who are listening right now and there's a struggle in your soul because you don't want to believe. You think of all the implications and you you want all the reasons. But at the end of the day, I pray that the Holy Spirit of God wins the argument in your heart and that you believe on Jesus Christ. Well, my friend, this is Pastor Lutzer. Let me ask you a question.

Are you arguing with God? Do you have to be brought kicking and screaming into the kingdom? I trust that if that is the case, you will surrender to Jesus to believe on him and be saved. That is the message of running to win not only here in the United States, but throughout the world. Perhaps you've heard me say before that we are in 51 different countries in seven different languages. And that is true because of partners just like you. Now, very personally, I know that there are many ministries that share the word of God. And I'm so thankful for all of them.

But God may be leading you very specifically to partner with us so that we can continue to sustain and to grow this ministry. I hope that you have a pen or pencil with you because this will give you the opportunity to write down this info. And I want to remind you that this month we're in the matching gift challenge. So here's what you do. You go to rtwoffer.com. Did I say that too quickly? You go to rtwoffer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Right now, go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337.

Dave McAllister: It's time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Some churches trace their roots back to the very beginning. Robert listens to us on BOT broadcasting in Overland Park, Kansas and has this to say. During the time of the New Testament church, we know that the center of all power resided in the Roman Empire. Authority rested in the hand of the emperor or king. My question is when after Pentecost did the doctrine and structure of the old Catholic Church begin? Or perhaps it could be better expressed in this manner.

Where was the Catholic Church during the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus leading up to Pentecost?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Robert, you have asked a very interesting question. And the answer is this, that during the ministry of John the Baptist and during the ministry of Jesus, the Catholic Church did not exist, nor did the Protestant Church exist. Uh we believe that the church actually began on the day of Pentecost. And when you read about it in the book of Acts, you begin to see its expansion to different parts of the world as Paul and others had their missionary journeys all the way to Rome. And so the gospel was going out all throughout those countries. And of course the church continued to exist in this manner, being an island of righteousness in a sea of paganism because you're absolutely right.

The church had to exist in the midst of a Roman Empire which was not favorable to the Christian faith. But you remember it was in the year 314 Constantine crossed the river and conquered Rome. And afterwards, he made Christianity basically the religion of the empire. Now, you have church and state united. Constantine began to appoint bishops. So you have the intrusion of the political systems into the church. And it's during that period of time where you have a synthesis between paganism and Christianity that you have some of the traditions of the Catholic Church develop. I'll simply give you one example.

For example, in the book of Jeremiah in chapter 44 and you can look that up by the way, it would be a good passage for you to read. Jeremiah 44 verses 17 and 18. It talks about the people praying to the Queen of Heaven. God of course was condemning this. Well, as you know in Roman Catholicism, Mary is called the Queen of Heaven. So it's during that period of time where you had the intrusion of some of these other religious ideas come into Christianity. That's how the Catholic Church developed. So we're talking about the fourth, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh centuries long after the time of Jesus and John the Baptist.

Now, when Luther comes along in 1517, he goes back to the scriptures. He does not accept tradition and he begins to understand that salvation is by faith alone. And what had happened throughout the centuries is that even though the church has always believed, the Catholic Church has always believed that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, receiving it as a free gift, that is to say to receive salvation as a free gift that was not part of their doctrine. And so Luther took us back to the Bible and said what we have to do is to find the true gospel which was known throughout all those centuries, but sometimes obscured by many other traditions.

So I hope that helps you, Robert. Keep listening and God bless you and you have a good day.

Dave McAllister: A history lesson from Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Thank you, Pastor Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at running to win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. The Holy Spirit brings joy and comfort into the lives of believers. But he also works in the lives of those who do not believe. Jesus said that the spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Next time on running to win, a closer look at the last of three realities the spirit makes clear to those not yet born again.

Running to win is all about helping you find God's road map for your race of life. Thanks for listening. Running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church.